Save Money on Your Favorite FoCo Spots & More

My husband Joe and I are gearing up for a date night out! Right before our baby was born we promised we would immediately institute a date night every week, just the two of us. We had grand plans of finding a babysitter who would come watch the baby every Thursday while we would go out and party like we did before I got pregnant. Well, the baby is 8 months old now, and we’ve only been out twice. We have attempted to party both times, but apparently we can’t make it much past 11 these days. We are lame. We get tired, start stressing about how awful it would be to change diapers with a hangover, then start missing the baby’s chubby little face, and we end up rushing home.

Despite the fact that our nights out haven’t been as frequent or as flashy as we had originally hoped, we still believe it’s important to set time aside for just the two of us. I’ve been told that we should try not to talk about the baby while we’re out because it’s about reconnecting as a couple, but we’re those people who won’t shut up about how brilliant our baby is.

I went searching for Midtown Arts Center’s coupon in Valpak this month, because if Joe and I stand any chance of going out and not talking about the baby, we’ll need to be kept very entertained. I've never seen a show at Midtown Arts Center (formerly Carousel Dinner Theater), but I have only ever heard good things about it. In fact, one of my co-workers loves it so much she has season tickets. Midtown Arts Center usually has good coupons so you can check it out if you’ve never been, and want to see if it’s the scene for you. Midtown is currently presenting Les Misèrables (I feel like I’m the only person who’s never seen Les Mis), and it will run until November 23rd.

Example only. Do not print this coupon for use. To get this coupon, check your September Valpak or scroll to the link below.

All-Inclusive Date Night for Les Miserables$99 for Two and includes 2 drinks, 2 dinners, and 2 desserts

Two for One (Thursday evenings only) Buy one ticket for $59, get second free

View coupons HEREI think Joe and I will take advantage of the $99 Date Night offer from Midtown Arts Center, but when I was looking for other date night ideas, I came across this fun postcard announcement from Harrington Arts Academy in Loveland that might be great fun for someone else:

Unfortunately, I don’t have a coupon for this event, but a Vintage 1920’s Glam Gala sounds like a lot of fun regardless of the price! You could get dressed up with your significant other ($120 a couple) or co-workers from the office ($600 for a table of 8) and help support the arts while you enjoy a fancy 3-course dinner, dancing, an auction, and an OPEN bar. Proceeds from the event will be used to help Harrington Arts Academy continue to provide students (of all ages) in the community with a variety of art courses: acting, musical theatre, improvisation, dance, creating writing, painting, mommy & me activities, art & crafts and more.Harrington’s Arts Academy’s Vintage 1920’s Night will begin at 6:30pm on Saturday, October 12th. Seats are limited, so be sure to get online or call (970) 391-8397 to reserve your tickets today.

One of the perks of living so close to work is that I can head home for lunch. Eating leftovers at home really helps us save money, but it gets pretty boring. Yesterday I realized nothing at my house sounded very appetizing. My only real option was to scramble up an egg, and that just seemed depressing. I surveyed the office to see who would be interested in joining me for lunch and the girls and I went in search of a coupon.

I found this one for $6.99 for lunch at Tasty Harmony downtown on nocohotdeals.com. I’ve only eaten at Tasty Harmony a couple of times before and only for dinner, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to try it out again.

The coupon is $6.99 for ½ a sandwich with a cup of soup or salad, but before you hurry to print it out, I discovered that this is actually their daily lunch special (11am - 3pm) and there is no need to actually provide a coupon. Your options are limited to certain sandwiches and salads, which is fine, but what I ended up ordering that wasn't on special was their Quixote Tortilla Chop Salad.

Tasty Harmony's Quixote Tortilla Chop Salad

Tasty Harmony is a vegetarian/vegan restaurant that prides itself on its organic cuisine (menu HERE). It can be a little intimidating if you’re not well versed in roughage, but luckily, they list a glossary of terms on the back of their menu in case you’re wondering what in the world seitan and spirulina are. For only $6.99, you can afford to spend an hour or so with friends discovering your own veggie-loving, rabbit self.

My family likes to go out for breakfast. We’re breakfast people, bacon and hash brown kind of people. With all of the great breakfast places here in Fort Collins, there’s a decent amount of drama in deciding where we we will go. We consider many different factors: wait time, proximity, baby’s happiness, and specific cravings. Of course, we also check to see if we have a coupon.

This weekend we’re headed to the Backporch Cafe with our coupon from Selections Magazine for a free breakfast or lunch with the purchase of an entree of equal or lesser value. This particular offer is exclusive to Selections (you won’t be able to find it online or in other savings publications), so if you’re one of the 90,000 homes in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley who receives Selections, make sure to clip this one out, as it expires on September 30th. If you tossed your magazine or don’t get Selections Magazine delivered to your home, the Valpak office always has extras available for pickup.

If you don’t want to make a trip to the Valpak office, the Backporch Cafe also has a deal out on valpak.com. Basically, you pre-pay $7 to get $14 worth of food. http://valpak.com/coupons/deals/details/1128817Purchasing the deal is a good option, but I personally prefer to use a coupon over a deal for several reasons:

If you forget to use your deal, you’re out the money you paid upfront.

Sometimes if you use a deal, you’re treated like a lowly “deal seeker” by the business’s staff. This is because deal seekers have a tendency to only spend the amount on the voucher, don’t tip well, and never return to pay full price.

Coupons tend deliver a better Return on Investment for the business because of the deal seeking behavior described above, and because the business has to split the $7 the customer spent on the deal with the advertiser. As consumers trying to save a buck, we sometimes forget or don’t care about what’s best for the businesses we frequent, but if we want some of these places to survive, we need to!

I don’t know what other moms do at home with their babies, but I am having trouble finding new things to do with my 7 month old. Her little personality is coming out and she is quite the demanding little extrovert. She wants to be entertained endlessly, and she has an affinity for other babies, crawling up, over, and under things. She like dogs, all toys other than her own, bright lights, music, and NOT sleeping. I can only accommodate so many of these current interests for so long at my house, and it’s becoming clear I need to get out and about to stimulate her little brain. To help me do this, I purchased this Groupon from Cool Beans Playhouse today: http://www.groupon.com/deals/cool-beans-playhouse

Now, I don’t buy many “daily deals” anymore and am a little hesitant to recommend them (to be explained in an upcoming post), but I am a little desperate to get out of the house as well, and this particular offer promises caffeine! I’ve also never been to Cool Beans before and am curious to see what it’s about.

As with most local Groupons, Cool Bean’s deal has 3 different offers to choose from. I purchased option 1: Admission for two kids (it only costs $3 for babies 6 - 12 months, but an older friend friend will be joining us) and one latte, coffee or tea, a $16 value for $8. However, if you’ve been to Cool Beans before and already know you love it, you could spend $24 for three admissions for 2 kids and a beverage. You could also spend $20 for one month of unlimited admissions for two kids.

The expiration date on this Groupon is 3 months from the date of purchase (standard for a daily deal expiration), so I will need to use mine by December 9th. I will make sure to come back to update this post after we’ve redeemed it.

Ok, so I know I said this blog would be primarily dedicated to local coupons as a way to get out and explore Fort Collins, but I have to post this one. I know my lady friends will appreciate the find.

I am a bit of a makeup junkie and have been since I was like 13. My biggest weakness is lipstick and lip gloss. I am always in search of a new color, but you know how it goes, you end up with a bunch of of different products in roughly the same shade. Anyway, in addition to my desire for new lip gloss, I am currently in need of new mascara and eyeliner. Here’s the thing though, my husband has us on strict budgetary lockdown this month. I keep our grocery list on a dry erase board on our refrigerator and last night I watched him scrawl “ESSENTIALS ONLY!” in bright orange across the top. In my world, mascara and eyeliner is essential. However, I understand we are saving for our anniversary out, and that take precedence. Luckily, this morning I stumbled across this offer from Ulta for 20% OFF your entire purchase.

I plan to print the coupon and take it into the Ulta at Front Range Village, but you can also use it online (Ulta also offers free shipping on orders over $50). Regardless, whether you buy online or in-store, this coupon expires on the 7th, so be sure to get your makeup shopping done by this Saturday. And, before you get too excited, you cannot use this coupon on prestige brands. However, if you’re like me and make do just fine with drugstore brands, then this could be the coupon for you.

To start off the blog, I have to share a coupon from one of my favorite places to head for date night. However, because it is a bit on the expensive side, my husband and I only go when there’s a coupon. This particular restaurant isn’t one that always has a coupon floating around, so you have to keep an eye out for it.So, what place am I speaking of? The Melting Pot!

You may have seen this coupon in this month’s Valpak, but you know you can also find a lot of these coupons online, right? Not all of the Valpak coupons you receive in the mail are online, but if you accidently throw your pack out, or the Blue Envelope isn’t delivered to your address, you can always visit www.valpak.com.

I have to admit, my favorite Melting Pot Coupon is the Date Night special for $59, but the current Surf & Turf offer is also a great tasty deal. If we can find a babysitter, hubs and I are headed to MP to bicker over which cheese fondue we will share. For only $39.95 a person, you receive a bottle of wine, cheese fondue, salad, steak, lobster, shrimp, and chocolate fondue! You can use this coupon for an intimate date night (I don’t think it’s tacky to use a coupon on a date, but maybe I’m lame), or you could can go as a group. The coupon can be used for parties up to 12. Just keep a few things in mind: you need to mention “Surf & Turf” when you make your reservation, you need to remember your coupon, this coupon expires 10/31/13, and it’s only good at the Fort Collins’ location.Here is the link to the coupon: http://bit.ly/meltingpotcoupon

The Melting Pot also has a couple events going on this month if you’re looking for a night out. On September 16th you and your gal-friends can head on down for Ladies Night. Get in on some great wine and cocktail deals while you share some fondue and gossip. Or meet up with friends September 25th for Wine Tasting Wednesday, where you’ll enjoy European-style fondue paired with wine.

My name is Katrina and I am a wife, mother, marketing coordinator, and a lady in need of a hobby. I am excited to introduce Coupon Colorado just in time for National Coupon Month! I do tend to think all of these random commemorative months are a little lame, as they’re always part of some big marketing ploy, but the timing is perfect for my first blog post!

Since cutting back my hours at work to spend time with my baby girl, I have been searching for something to keep me busy while at home (when I’m not running after Lucy and or folding another load of laundry). The idea of blogging appealed to me because I like to write. This is partly because I am better in writing than I am in person, and also because my job gives me something worth writing about.

I work at Valpak (you know, the big Blue Envelope full of coupons) and as a member of the Marketing Department, I spend quite a bit of time thinking about how I use coupons and how others use coupons. Despite the fact that I work for a company known for its coupons, I am not a crazy couponer. I do not head to the store with the goal of only spending $10 for a week’s worth of groceries, and I do not boycott my favorite places in town because they don’t discount. But, what I will do, is use coupons and deals as a way to explore my community. I view a coupon as an “invitation” to try out a new place, or give an old place another chance. Since I am also a new mom, I take budgeting much more seriously and am always looking to save a few bucks where I can. I started thinking there must be more people like me out there. People looking for fun local offers to help them rediscover all this city has to offer. That is how Coupon Colorado was conceived.

Obviously, because of my affiliation with Valpak, you can expect to see a fair amount of Valpak content. That being said, I will also be sure to use other sources in town to provide some of the best discounts. If you notice that I’ve missed a great offer, and you think everyone should know about it, please contact me and let me know!